I Love The Subway Espresso Machine So Much

The single best piece of technology I have seen outside the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is right inside the north entrance of the Diagonal subway station. You’re looking at it. It is a machine that makes pretty good, made-to-order Lavazza espressos … in the frickin’ subway!

You pop in one euro ($1.50) and the thing goes to work, dropping down a little paper cup and choose from a menu including single or double espressos, cappucinos, and up to five sugars. Then you wait about sixty seconds. Then you pull out your little paper cup, and it has your espresso … even with foam on top. With the milk sitting correctly. It’s a wonder to behold. And what’s more, you are then actually supposed to take your espresso onto the subway with you. So civilized.

This is an evolutionary technology, but it is to those old coffee-in-a-paper-cup vending machines what a Falcon Northwest PC is to a Commodore Pet. I want to wrap one up and take it home.